Browsing Archive: June, 2011

One of my campers this week looked like she was about to cry as she walked in. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that sometimes she gets scared before she gets to camp. She started to cry a little so I told her how I used to get scared and cry before going to school, but that my mom would talk to a tree to make me feel better, this made her laugh.

Sitting here now, Worried Blues by Bob Dylan plays on my i-tunes. It hit me that what he is singing about is exactly what this little girl... Continue reading ...

Last week was the first week of summer camp at Baltimore Clayworks. It was great. It was one of those moments that seemed to have the right people and things in all the right places. And somehow most of the week for me revolved around dodge ball. This seems an unlikely activity for one of my best weeks in recent memory, but somehow I feel like dodge ball was a key element to everything. I remember dodge ball from gym class in elementary school and not in a good light. I remember kids being br... Continue reading ...

"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness... Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

This quote is by Derrick Jensen from his book Walking on Water. It has got me thinking about the word commitment and what it means. I feel like the idea of commitment in this society is often viewed as a negative thing, as something that weighs on a person rather than frees them. Many of the defini... Continue reading ...

I just finished reading Weight by Jeanette Winterson. I read through the novel in three days, I could not put it down. It is part of a series of books retelling myths and Winterson chose to focus on the myth of Atlas. It is a great read and I highly recommend it. The book is about retelling, about stories, about choices. At some point in the book the narrator states that we are each stuck in orbit between our past and out future. That our future holds just as much weight as our past and most ... Continue reading ...

What does marriage have to do with love?I know that as an institution, marriage may not have anything to do with love, that it is a way for the systems of society to control how people relate to one another and that at worst it can be a means for people to control each other. For a long time I did not want to get married, I did not know many married people among my peers and it is only recently that I have begun to be invited to the weddings of my friends. It seems now is as good a time as a... Continue reading ...

The last week of my life has left with me with so much to contemplate and write about, I have the feeling this post will be scattered and may be confusing for those without my experience. My apologies, if you bear with me, as I write more in the coming days, I think there will be many insights after the brief glimpse I had into another existence. I spent a week on a farm in North Carolina and it was such an amazing experience that I am conflicted as I transition back into my life in Baltimore...?